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Cheap/Newbie Wine


Texaskimo

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38 minutes ago, Etexhorn13 said:

Houston. Originally from marshall area, hence the etex in my handle. 

Grew up in Houston (live in Austin now), and used to spend time in Marshall when my Aunt lived there. Still get to H-Town several times a year.

If you go to Total Wine or Spec’s and know what you’re looking for, they are OK (though there is so much out there they have no access to).  If you are relying on their personnel, it’s mostly a miss, because most of them don’t know more than what others tell them.    Go to the Houston Wine Merchant, tell them your budget and what you like, and let them steer you in the direction.

For those of you in Dallas that want the same type of help, go to Pogo’s.

 

 

 

 

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For those of you in Dallas that want the same type of help, go to Pogo’s.

 

 

Check out LastBottle. From time to time there are some really good values. Picked up some really good Rosé a few weeks ago for $14 bottle shipped!

 

I second Pogos. Go talk with Tedder and he will point you in the right direction.

 

 

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8 hours ago, milkman said:

 

 

Check out LastBottle. From time to time there are some really good values. Picked up some really good Rosé a few weeks ago for $14 bottle shipped!

 

I second Pogos. Go talk with Tedder and he will point you in the right direction.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Or Lance

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On 6/14/2020 at 11:46 PM, Etexhorn13 said:

Been curious about these locations wines.. any of them better or worse than the others?

The Spanish one is pretty good, but it's not particularly a better value than many others in the same or lower price point.  They do tend to be pretty consistent, which is important especially if you're trying to figure out what regions you like (so then you can explore more wines from the same region, e.g.)

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19 hours ago, Etexhorn13 said:

Houston. Originally from marshall area, hence the etex in my handle. 

If you go to the big Spec's on Smith Street there are several people in there that really know their stuff.  Ask for .Bear.

Edited by DDD Dad
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On 6/15/2020 at 6:56 AM, NoName said:

mind sharing some recs in that $30ish+ range?

Sure. 

GH Mumm is a real solid choice in that range, as is the Montaudon that I've found at Total Wine. Moet and Chandon and Perrier Jouet are both closer to $40, but are also nice. With 10% discounts for bulk purchases you can back either of those down into the $35 range. Piper Heidsieck is solid, too, as is the standard Tattinger.

Those are just some of the better known labels, but there are tons of smaller producers that you can find that won't have the notoriety that are just as good.

In general, you can get some great Cremants which have a lot of the same characteristics as traditional Champagne for half the price. Cremants are often better value than Champagne, especially if you're looking for a solid, easy-to-drink everyday bubbly. There's a time and place for the Krugs and Doms of the world, but unless you're Surly 0.01%, it's not an every day occasion. Doesn't mean there aren't still good options out there.

I suppose it's not super surprising, but you can find some decent, if not simple bubbly in the $15-20 range (especially for proseccos and brut cavas), and stepping it up to $20-30 will get you into some nicer Cremants. $30-40 is going to be predominantly the basic labels for the major houses (see above, M&C, Perrier Jouet, Tattinger, Pol Roger, etc), and once you get to around $50 you're starting to get into some higher end Champagnes.

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Pretty typical wine stock up for us today:

6 x Louis Jadot Beaujolais
1 x Arsonist red blend
1 x Intrinsic red blend
1 x Orin Swift Eight Years in the Desert
1 x If You See Kay red blend
1 x CA Locations
1 x Rose Gold rosé

Total price at Tom Thumb was $202, so $16.83 per bottle average.

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